Modular, wireless optical antenna

ABSTRACT

A modular node for an optical communication network includes one or more transceiver modules of a plurality of transceiver modules, and a node core including a plurality of electrical connectors to electrically join up to the plurality of transceiver modules to the node core. At least some of the transceiver modules has an optical transceiver configured to emit optical beams carrying data and without artificial confinement, and detect optical beams emitted and without artificial confinement. The up to the plurality of transceiver modules electrically joined to the node core are spatially separated to provide configurable coverage for optical communication based on their number and placement. And the node core further includes switching circuitry configured to connect the one or more transceiver modules to implement a redistribution point or a communication endpoint in the optical communication network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/451,092, entitled: Modular, Wireless Optical Omni-Antenna,filed on Mar. 6, 2017, and which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/304,680, entitled: Modular, Wireless OpticalOmni-Antenna, filed on Mar. 7, 2016, the contents of both of which areincorporated herein by reference in their respective entireties.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to optical communications andin particular, diverged-beam optical communications.

BACKGROUND

Optical wireless communications systems today despite providing muchhigher bandwidth have found only niche applications due to the necessityfor line-of-sight operation, high atmospheric attenuation over thewireless channel especially in fog, the high cost of lasers on a perwatt basis, and lack of misalignment tolerance necessitating theaddition of high-cost pointing and tracking systems. To overcome themisalignment problem, omni-directional optical wireless antennas(“omni-antennas”) have been proposed that send and receive opticalwireless signals in all directions, including omni-antennas whichfunction in a mobile ad-hoc network (or MANET). Most currentomni-antennas are contemplated at low power level often with LEDs forpurposes of achieving broad transmitter divergence angles and widefield-of-view receivers. However, such implementations provide onlylimited ranges and are proposed with components with limited modulationrates which limits throughput and therefore have limited applications,such as indoor local area networks (LANs) or other confined spaces.

Other teachings contemplate 360 degree transmit coverage with mirrorsbut do not address detector field-of-view. Others provide for devices tohave IR transmitter and receiver pairs but contemplate the network asstatic in a master-slave configuration.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system and method that takesinto account and resolves at least some of the issues discussed above,as well as possibly other issues.

BRIEF SUMMARY

To solve several of these shortcomings, a high-power, modular,omni-capable node for optical wireless communications is provided. Thehigh-power, diverged beam system of the type proposed in PCT PatentApplication Publication No. WO 2015/106110, and its corresponding U.S.patent Application Publication No. 2016/0294472 (both incorporated byreference herein in their respective entireties), is here manifested asa single panel on node, with the composition of multiple panels on onenode making it omni-capable. The node is designed to be modular (e.g.,handle panels of different specifications depending on the application),support mobility, and, when in the presence of other nodes, function asa mesh network or MANET. The node handles dynamic reconfiguration of thenetwork as nodes move between panel coverage areas. Panels themselvescan be of various power levels, of various different emitter sources,various divergence and acceptance angles, and of various modulationrates and schemes. In an omni-directional configuration, the node coversan entire area around the node within the design distance of the moduleleading to no angular tolerance issues, yielding lower cost solutions tothe line of sight problem via inexpensive deployment of multiple nodescombined with the path redundancy of a mesh network, addressingattenuation via high power transmitters and wide field-of-viewreceivers, and enabling continuous connectivity for mobile nodes movingthrough the mesh network coverage area.

Example implementations provide a modular wireless communications nodewith omni-directional capability with one or more higher-power,highly-diverged laser beams with high modulation rates coupled with atleast one high acceptance angle receiver, when configured in variousforms, supports advanced mesh network functions. This will help addressthe attenuation, distance, and speed limitation of previous art. Inaddition, example implementations provide a modular design including asingle node and multiple modules (also called panels) which will helpreduce cost and enable more frequent and inexpensive deployment of nodesto address the line-of-sight limitations often encountered withfree-space optical links.

The present disclosure thus includes, without limitation, the followingexample implementations:

Some example implementations provide a modular node for an opticalcommunication network, the modular node comprising one or moretransceiver modules of a plurality of transceiver modules at least someof which with an optical transceiver configured to emit optical beamscarrying data and without artificial confinement, and detect opticalbeams emitted and without artificial confinement; and a node coreincluding a plurality of electrical connectors to electrically join upto the plurality of transceiver modules to the node core, the up to theplurality of transceiver modules electrically joined to the node corebeing spatially separated to provide configurable coverage for opticalcommunication based on their number and placement, wherein the node corefurther includes switching circuitry configured to connect the one ormore transceiver modules to implement a redistribution point or acommunication endpoint in the optical communication network.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theoptical transceiver is configured to emit optical beams, and detectoptical beams emitted, with a divergence angle greater than 0.1 degrees,and with a photonic efficiency of less than 0.05%, the photonicefficiency relating a number of detectable photons to a number ofemitted photons of the optical beams.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theone or more transceiver modules include optical transceivers withdifferent specifications in terms of a nominal angle, datarate ordistance.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theone or more transceiver modules include transceiver modules havingrespective fields of view that at least partially overlap and therebydefine an area covered by the transceiver modules when joined to thenode core, and each of the transceiver modules supports communication toone or more transceiver modules of one or more other modular nodes inits field of view through time-division or wavelength divisionmultiplexing, and wherein the switching circuitry is further configuredto dynamically select between the transceiver modules to providecoverage for the area covered by both or all of the transceiver modules.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, atleast one of the one or more transceiver modules joined to the node corespans more than one of the plurality of electrical connectors.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, atleast some of the one or more transceiver modules joined to the nodecore further has active tracking implemented by mechanical movement,beam steering or liquid lens.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, atleast some of the one or more transceiver modules joined to the nodecore further has a processor configured to control the transceivermodule or facilitate communications between two or more of thetransceiver modules through the node core.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theprocessor and logic are further configured to ignore, block or filteroptical beams intended for an adjacent transceiver module joined to thenode core, or modify its orientation, power level or frequency of itsoptical transceiver based on activity of the adjacent transceivermodule.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theone or more transceiver modules include a transceiver module with anoptical transceiver configured to emit and detect optical beams carryingdata, and another transceiver module with an electromagnetic wavetransceiver configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic wavescarrying data and in a band in the range of 1 megahertz (MHz) to 10terahertz (THz).

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thenode core further has a processor and logic configured to ignore, blockor filter optical beams from one or more of the transceiver modulesjoined to the node core, or modify an orientation, power level orfrequency of one or more of the transceiver modules joined to the nodecore.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thenode core further includes a network connection to link the modular nodeto another network that is distinct from the optical communicationnetwork.

In some example implementations of the modular node of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theswitching circuitry being configured to connect the one or moretransceiver modules includes being configured to switchably connect theone or more transceiver modules to support a mesh or mobile ad-hocnetwork topology of the optical communication network that includes themodular node and one or more other modular nodes with which the modularnode is configured to communicate.

Some example implementations provide a method of implementing aredistribution point or a communication endpoint in an opticalcommunication network, the method comprising electrically joining one ormore up to a plurality of transceiver modules to a node core, at leastsome of the plurality of transceiver modules with an optical transceiverconfigured to emit optical beams carrying data and without artificialconfinement, and detect optical beams emitted and without artificialconfinement, the node core having a plurality of electrical connectorsfor electrically joining up to the plurality of transceiver modules, theup to the plurality of transceiver modules electrically joined to thenode core being spatially separated to provide configurable coverage foroptical communication based on their number and placement; andconnecting, by switching circuitry of the node core, the one or moretransceiver modules to implement the redistribution point or thecommunication endpoint in the optical communication network.

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theoptical transceiver is configured to emit optical beams, and detectoptical beams emitted, with a divergence angle greater than 0.1 degrees,and with a photonic efficiency of less than 0.05%, the photonicefficiency relating a number of detectable photons to a number ofemitted photons of the optical beams.

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof,electrically joining the one or more transceiver modules compriseselectrically joining one or more transceiver modules including opticaltransceivers with different specifications in terms of a nominal angle,datarate or distance.

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof,electrically joining the one or more transceiver modules compriseselectrically joining one or more transceiver modules having respectivefields of view that at least partially overlap and thereby define anarea covered by the transceiver modules when joined to the node core,and each of the transceiver modules supports communication to one ormore transceiver modules of one or more other modular nodes in its fieldof view through time-division or wavelength division multiplexing, andwherein connecting the one or more transceiver modules further comprisesdynamically selecting between the transceiver modules to providecoverage for the area covered by both or all of the transceiver modules.

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof,electrically joining the one or more transceiver modules compriseselectrically joining one or more transceiver modules at least some ofwhich further has a processor configured to control the transceivermodule or facilitate communications between two or more of thetransceiver modules through the node core.

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theprocessor and logic are further configured to ignore, block or filteroptical beams intended for an adjacent transceiver module joined to thenode core, or modify its orientation, power level or frequency of itsoptical transceiver based on activity of the adjacent transceivermodule.

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof,electrically joining the one or more transceiver modules compriseselectrically joining one or more transceiver modules including atransceiver module with an optical transceiver configured to emit anddetect optical beams carrying data, and another transceiver module withan electromagnetic wave transceiver configured to transmit and receiveelectromagnetic waves carrying data and in a band in the range of 1megahertz (MHz) to 10 terahertz (THz).

In some example implementations of the method of any preceding or anysubsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof,connecting the one or more transceiver modules comprises switchablyconnecting the one or more transceiver modules to support a mesh ormobile ad-hoc network topology of the optical communication network thatincludes the modular node and one or more other modular nodes with whichthe modular node is configured to communicate.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detaileddescription together with the accompanying drawings, which are brieflydescribed below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two,three, four, or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure,regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combinedor otherwise recited in a specific implementation description herein.This disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that anyseparable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspectsand implementations, should be viewed as combinable, unless the contextof the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

It will therefore be appreciated that the above Summary is providedmerely for purposes of summarizing some example implementations so as toprovide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Assuch, it will be appreciated that the above described exampleimplementations are merely examples of some implementations and shouldnot be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in anyway. It implementations, some of which will be further described below,in addition to those here summarized. Further, other aspects andadvantages of implementations disclosed herein will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the described implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the disclosure in the foregoing general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate multi-directional nodes in variousconfigurations according to various example implementations of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a modular node, according to example implementations;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate configurations of the modular node ofFIG. 3 including different numbers, placement and connections oftransceiver modules (also referred to as “panels”), according to exampleimplementations;

FIG. 8 illustrates an optical communication network that includesmodular nodes in a mesh network topology;

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 compare a mesh network according to exampleimplementations of the present disclosure with other optical and radiofrequency networks;

FIG. 12 illustrates the mesh network of FIG. 8 in which modular nodesinclude different power or datarate panels, according to exampleimplementations; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart including various operations in a methodaccording to example implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to example implementations thereof. These exampleimplementations are described so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theimplementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. As used in the specification and the appended claims, forexample, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the” and the like include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, forexample, reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values,relationships or the like. Unless otherwise stated, any one or more ifnot all of these may be absolute or approximate to account foracceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineeringtolerances or the like.

As described hereinafter, example implementations of the presentdisclosure relate to optical communications, and more particularlydiverged-beam optical communications. Example implementations of thepresent disclosure are primarily described in the context of free spaceoptical (FSO) communications. It should be understood, however, thatexample implementations may be equally applicable in contexts other thanthat traditionally associated with FSO communications, that is,communications through air, outer space, vacuum or the like. Forexample, example implementations may be equally applicable tocommunications through water or any other liquid, solution orsuspension, and any other matter or medium through which an optical beammay propagate without an optical fiber cable, waveguide or transmissionline. These and other similar means of artificial confinement maypresent a contrast in index of refraction that leads to mode confinementtherein to carry or otherwise guide an optical beam. Thus, exampleimplementations may be more generally considered applicable to opticalcommunications including the propagation of optical beams between atransmitter and a receiver without artificial confinement such as byoptical fiber cable, waveguide, transmission line or the like.

As explained in greater detail below, example implementations of thepresent disclosure provide a high-power, modular, optical wirelesscommunications node having up to a plurality of transceiver modules(often referred to as “panels”) to provide omni-directional capability.The high-power, diverged beam system of the type proposed in thepreviously-cited and incorporated WO 2015/106110 and U.S. 2016/0294472publications is here manifested as a single panel on node, with thecomposition of multiple panels on one node making the multi-directionalnode. The node is designed be modular (e.g., handle panels of differentspecifications depending on the application), support mobility, and,when in the presence of other nodes, function as a mesh network. Thenode will handle dynamic reconfiguration of the network as nodes movebetween panel coverage areas. Panels themselves can be of various powerlevels, various different emitter sources, various divergence andacceptance angles and of various modulation rates and schemes. When inan omni-directional configuration, the node covers an area leading to noangular tolerance issues, leads to lower cost solutions to the line ofsight problem via inexpensive deployment of multiple nodes andredundancy in the mesh network, and addresses attenuation via high powerand wide field-of-view receivers.

FIG. 1 illustrates a multi-directional node 100 in an omni-directionalconfiguration with eight panels providing a 360 degree horizontalcoverage, and a vertical angular range of 1's up to 10's of degrees.However, the node could be configured for any angular range from onepanel up to hemispherical or fully spherical through minor mechanicalchanges easily known by those skilled in the art. FIG. 2 illustratesalternate implementations for full spherical coverage in which the faceof each shape corresponds to a single panel. Cost efficiency willdictate the number of panels and thus the angular coverage area (receiveand transmit) of each panel and thereby the node. Panel coverage areascan be larger in one dimension than another. Other point to multi-pointsolutions require knowing ahead of time the number of connections agiven point (or node) will have. Such solutions also need to know thedirection of the connection, or require a device to have mechanicalsystem to provide it a wide-range of orientation options. Exampleimplementations provide for a node with enough flexibility so it can beused in most situations without modification of the node itself.

Alternative ways for addressing this spatial flexibility has been tocreate nodes which are inherently omni-directional. Providing suchcoverage statically drives up cost, which requires that designs oftenshare components (optical, photonic, or electronic) to counter balancethe increase. These systems are therefore cost prohibitive in case wherea point-to-point or point-to-multipoint is required, and in anomni-configuration, do not provide the flexibility to vary thecharacteristics of the transceiver between different spatial areas.

Node and Panels

FIG. 3 illustrates a modular node 300 according to one exampleimplementation of this disclosure. As shown, the node includes a nodecore 302 that can support a number of panels 304. The number of panelsattached to a core may vary depending on the desired application or theparticular performance or size of the panel required. The node has thecapability to support panels of different specifications, two of whichare also shown as panels 304 a, 304 b. The node also has the capabilityto support only a subset of panels as required. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustratea node core with different numbers of panels. Fewer panels may addresscost effectiveness in less dense areas, or enable the node to onlyimplement a relay.

As also shown in FIG. 3, each panel 304 has a coverage area 306. Panelsmay be designed to have coverage areas that are distinct from each otheror may overlap. In the case of an overlap, the node 300 or panel 304electronics will dynamically select which panel is maintainingcommunication with the node or endpoint in the overlapping area.

Each panel 304 may have one or more panels of one or more other nodes300 in its communication coverage area. In the case where there is morethan one panel in a coverage area (i.e., one-to-many), panels have theability to utilize time-division or wavelength division multiplexing tosupport active links to all the devices in that coverage area, whetherthis is achieved electronically or mechanically. Conversely, the panelthat shares a coverage area with other panels (i.e., many-to-one) willalso utilize time-division or wavelength division multiplexing ifrequired by the other side of the link.

Nodes and panels may be stationary or mobile.

Panel Features

Panels 304 will necessarily have one or more transmitter devices and oneor more photodetectors and a connection method back to the node. Thespecification of the panel in terms of coverage angles, datarate, anddistance will dictate the balance of panel components andconfigurations. Panels may or may not need optical gain depending on thedistance.

Panel connections could be a variety of methods known to those skilledin the art, including solid backplane connectors, high-speed versions ofEthernet, or perhaps even a low-noise-inducing wireless standard such aslow-e Bluetooth.

Panel features may also include active tracking, whether throughmechanical movement of the transceiver optical assembling, beamsteering, or a liquid lens approach. Active tracking may also support atime-division multiplexing implementation through directed beams.

Panel functional coverage area distance may be adjusted, whethermechanically or with a liquid lens, to narrow but lengthen the coveragearea for periods of time. Panels 304 are also capable of reducing powerand thus reducing coverage area in instance when it may be advantageousto conserve power.

Panels 304 will have additional features to enable optimal performancewith the node core 302 and with other panels also on the node, including(a) the ability to ignore, block or filter signal intended for anadjacent panel on the same node, (b) modify its orientation, powerlevel, or frequency of its transceiver based on activity of an adjacentpanel. In certain implementations it will be advantageous to have aprocessor and logic in the panel to achieve this, in otherimplementations this will be interpreted in the node core withinstructions passed to the panel.

A processor on the panel 304 will be desirable in some cases to serve acontrol function on the individual panel. In other cases, the processorwill facilitate communications between two or more panels through thenode core 302. This panel/node core communication can be utilized toreduce latency of the switching within the node 300. A panel inconjunction with adjacent panels can utilize the changes in signalstrength to allow the node core to anticipate when change may beoccurring.

In this and other configurations, panels 304 are able to communicatethrough the node core 302 either to each other or to other devices onthe network. In some cases, the panel will have knowledge of the networktopology of the full network including panel configuration on the node.Communication by the panel can be used to change and/or optimize thenetwork topology. The communication can also be used to report status onthe characteristics of the link or the number and type of other panelsin the field of view of that panel. These statistics may be communicatedto a monitoring and control application, where the application isdistributed to each node, or managed via a centralized or cloud-basedserver.

Node Core Features

The node core 302 contains mechanical interfaces to hold and connectpanels 304 or panel connectors and the electronics facilitatingcommunications of the panels and their various connections to othernodes. Mechanical interfaces can be any number greater than one, and maybe only for a panel connector, such that the panel is positionedphysically away from the node core and electronically connected viacable. The node core also supports a connection via a standard networkconnection (e.g., GigE Ethernet, radio frequency wireless, millimeterwireless, fiber, or other). The connection can be used to link a node toan existing network, to an endpoint, or to another wireless antennadesigned to support multiple other endpoint connections.

In some examples, the panels 304 will all be mechanically connected tothe core. In such cases, the core mechanical connectors are configuredto assure omni-directional coverage when all of the mechanicalconnectors are utilized. In other examples, such as in a rooftopimplementations or others where core positioning confines the potentialline-of-sight paths, panels may not be mechanical connected to the coreand instead mounted separately away from the node, positioned to achieveoptimal line-of-sight for each panel. This is shown in FIG. 6. In otherexamples, there will be panels both mechanically and not mechanicallyconnected to a single node. This is shown in FIG. 7.

The node core 302 will also support panels 304 that utilizeelectromagnetic wave communications in the appropriate bands to supportradio frequency (RF) communications, including millimeter wave, wirelessLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) and the like, terahertz (THz) communications, orothers in the range of 1 megahertz (MHz) to 10 THz. The node core willhave a standard interconnection such that non-communication devices suchas panels supporting sensors or panels supporting metamaterials may alsobe utilized.

The node core 302 will have the capacity to also connect to one or morephysical networks via fiber, Ethernet and/or other connection(s). Thefrequency of these types of node connections will depend on the optimallayout and reliability required for a given mesh network design.

Mesh Network

The node electronics (panel 304 or core 302 or some combination) supportthe dynamic reconfiguration of the network as nodes move through variouspanel coverage areas of the same node, or switch to coverage areas of adifferent node. FIG. 8 illustrates nodes 300 connected in a mesh networktopology 800. The mesh network topology creates the benefit ofredundancy and also higher overall network throughput. Each node mayconnect to an endpoint 802 via an optical connection 804 if the endpointsupports it, or via RF link 806, such as Wi-Fi or other standards. Thedynamic reconfiguration may happen on a wide range of time scales.Existing protocols, such as IP, configure (and reconfigure) networks ontime scales of seconds to minutes. This network may use those or similarprotocol on those timescales. In addition, this network may configureand reconfigure itself on time scales from seconds down to microseconds.Minimum time scale is set by the packet size and the given datarate.High speed dynamic reconfiguration enables nodes to move and rotate ontime scales from static to 1000 km's/hour.

Modular nodes 300 with optical wireless panels 304 will have particularadvantages over other mesh implementations. For example, the number ofspatially distinct coverage areas can be higher than with radiofrequencies. A single node with panel transceivers having a divergenceangle +/−0.5° could have 360 distinct coverage areas around the horizon.Taking a single transceiver having a throughput of 1 Gbps would create anode throughput of 360 Gbps in the horizontal plane only. Adding panelsin the vertical direction increases the number of distinct coverageareas. Again as an example, covering 4 pi steradians with transceiverswith a having a divergence angle of +/−0.5° would take up to about44,000 panels.

The nodes 300 in a mesh network 800 may be stationary, mobile, or acombination of both. For example, a node implemented with a small formfactor and panels 304 with a moderate power rating and moderate bitrateare suitable for using in connected passenger vehicles, connecting thevehicle to other modular nodes whether another vehicle or stationarynode which is connected to a broader mesh network. In other cases themobile node with have will be higher power and higher bit rates for usein public transportation vehicles such as buses or trains.

Also, as shown in FIG. 9, prior art narrow beam FSO nodal systems onlyallow point to point communications between the nodes. Other points, andmoving users, are not able to receive or transmit communications. Thisis illustrated to be points “X” not being on a line of communication.The broad beams of example implementations cover all the areas in themesh network, so that all points “X” are on communications beams, asshown in FIG. 10. Thus even moving users can be in continuouscommunication. Also, in comparison to omnidirectional radio frequencysystems as shown in FIG. 11, example implementations of the presentdisclosure enable far higher bandwidths and frequency reuse. In additionto achieving linkage to any users in the entire mesh area, exampleimplementations allow for high redundancy of coverage. As shown in FIG.10, each user “X” can communicate with each of the six nodes, therebyincreasing link reliability and bandwidth. In addition, multiple lasersand detectors on each panel can be incorporated so that each panel andeach beam will continue to function even with multiple device failures.Lower cost lower reliability components can thus be used.

Switching

The node 300 performs switching of data to route it through the meshnetwork 800. These switching decisions can be made in panels 304 or inthe node core 302. The node core may include an Ethernet switch with IPlevel switching determined by the switch utilizing any number of networktopology and switching algorithms. In some cases, high speed switchingdecisions may be made by the panels and communicated to the node core.Alternately, the panels may transparently pass all link performance andcontrol status data through to the node core where all switchingdecisions are made for a given node. Other configurations are possible.Even though Ethernet and IP have been used in this description, exampleimplementations of the present disclosure are independent of data formatand routing protocol.

In some cases, the panel 304 may anticipate switching changes for thenode 300 in order to reduce latency. This will have particular impactson implementations where a mesh node is mobile, for example, functioningas a communications device for a moving vehicle.

Mesh Networking Optimization with Modular Design

FIG. 12 illustrates a configuration in which it may be required ordesired to have a higher power or higher datarate panels 304 at a givenlocation on the mesh 600. In such cases, panels may be switched withinthe nodes to accommodate common path nodes where higher data rate 1002or longer distance connections 1004 are desired. Such flexibility wouldbe particularly useful in situations where the node is stationary. Ininstances were mobility is desired, panels 304 can be designed to extendthe range of the panel if it detects a fading connection (usuallyindicated by a node moving further away). In this case, the panelhardware can dynamically switch to a lower datarate modulation,increasing noise tolerance, and therefore extending the range.

Coarse Steering of Panels

Panels 304 within a node 300 may be enabled with coarse steeringability. This steering, in pan and tilt, provides the ability in amulti-directional, but not omni, configuration, to dynamically switchwhich panels are utilized to connect endpoints or other mesh nodes. Thissteering could be achieved mechanical or electronically utilizingoptical phased arrays, liquid lenses or other methods.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart including various operations in a method 1300 ofimplementing a redistribution point or a communication endpoint in anoptical communication network, according to example implementations. Asshown at block 1302, the method incudes electrically joining one or moreup to a plurality of transceiver modules to a node core. At least someof the plurality of transceiver modules have an optical transceiverconfigured to emit optical beams carrying data and without artificialconfinement, and detect optical beams emitted and without artificialconfinement. The node core has a plurality of electrical connectors forelectrically joining up to the plurality of transceiver modules, the upto the plurality of transceiver modules electrically joined to the nodecore being spatially separated to provide configurable coverage foroptical communication based on their number and placement. And as shownat block 1304, the method includes connecting, by switching circuitry ofthe node core, the one or more transceiver modules to implement theredistribution point or the communication endpoint in the opticalcommunication network.

Example implementations of the present disclosure may be implementedwith any combination of hardware and software. If implemented as acomputer-implemented apparatus, the examples may be implemented usingmeans for performing some or all of the steps and functions describedabove.

Example implementations of the present disclosure can be included in anarticle of manufacture (e.g., one or more computer program products)having, for instance, a computer-readable storage medium which, as anon-transitory device capable of storing information, may bedistinguishable from computer-readable transmission media such aselectronic transitory signals capable of carrying information from onelocation to another. Computer-readable medium as described herein maygenerally refer to a computer-readable storage medium orcomputer-readable transmission medium. The computer-readable storagemedium has embodied therein, for instance, computer readable programcode means, including computer-executable instructions, for providingand facilitating the mechanisms of example implementations. In thisregard, the computer-readable storage medium may have computer-readableprogram code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by aprocessor (hardware processor), cause an apparatus to perform variousfunctions described herein. The article of manufacture can be includedas part of a computer system including the aforementioned processor, orprovided separately. Or in some examples, the article of manufacture maybe included in electronics of the node core 302 or panels 304 of thenode 300.

Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thisdisclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specificimplementations disclosed and that modifications and otherimplementations are intended to be included within the scope of theappended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and theassociated drawings describe example implementations in the context ofcertain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should beappreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions maybe provided by alternative implementations without departing from thescope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, differentcombinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitlydescribed above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of theappended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular node for an optical communicationnetwork, the modular node comprising: two or more transceiver modules ofa plurality of transceiver modules each of at least some of which withan optical transceiver configured to emit optical beams carrying dataand without artificial confinement, and detect optical beams emitted andwithout artificial confinement; and a node core including a plurality ofelectrical connectors to electrically join up to the plurality oftransceiver modules to the node core, the up to the plurality oftransceiver modules electrically joined to the node core being spatiallyseparated to provide configurable coverage for optical communicationbased on their number and placement, wherein the node core furtherincludes switching circuitry configured to connect the two or moretransceiver modules to implement a redistribution point or acommunication endpoint in the optical communication network, and whereinthe modular node is configured to perform switching of data to route thedata through the optical communication network, and each transceivermodule of the at least some of the two or more transceiver modulesjoined to the node core further has a processor configured to makeswitching decisions for the data passing through the transceiver module.2. The modular node of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured toenable communications between at least some of the two or more of thetransceiver modules through the node core.
 3. The modular node of claim1, wherein the processor is configured to make the switching decisionsaccording to a configuration of the optical communication network, andto reconfigure the optical communication network, and wherein theoptical communication network is reconfigurable within microseconds. 4.The modular node of claim 1, wherein the processor being configured tomake switching decisions includes being configured to anticipateswitching changes for the modular node.
 5. The modular node of claim 1,wherein the processor being configured to make switching decisionsincludes being configured to make switching decisions based oninformation received from another of the two or more transceivermodules.
 6. The modular node of claim 1, wherein the optical transceiveris configured to emit optical beams, and detect optical beams emitted,with a divergence angle of +/−0.5 degrees, and wherein the plurality oftransceiver modules and plurality of electrical connectors includesrespectively up to 44,000 transceiver modules and up to 44,000connectors to provide up to 4 pi steradians of coverage when joined tothe node core.
 7. The modular node of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to report status on characteristics of an opticallink with the transceiver module, or a number and type of othertransceiver modules in a field of view of the transceiver module.
 8. Themodular node of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to detect afading connection with the transceiver module, and dynamically switch toa lower datarate modulation or increasing noise tolerance in responsethereto.
 9. The modular node of claim 1, wherein the modular node ismobile.
 10. The modular node of claim 1, wherein the two or moretransceiver modules include transceiver modules having respective fieldsof view that define an area covered by the transceiver modules whenjoined to the node core, the area having multiple dimensions one ofwhich is larger than another.
 11. The modular node of claim 1, whereinthe optical transceiver includes a plurality of optical emitters. 12.The modular node of claim 1, wherein the optical transceiver includes aplurality of optical detectors.
 13. The modular node of claim 1, whereinthe processor is further configured to modify its power level orfrequency of its optical transceiver based on activity of an adjacenttransceiver module joined to the node core.
 14. A system for an opticalcommunication network, the system comprising a plurality of modularnodes, each modular node of the plurality of modular nodes comprising:two or more transceiver modules of a plurality of transceiver moduleseach of at least some of which with an optical transceiver configured toemit optical beams carrying data and without artificial confinement, anddetect optical beams emitted and without artificial confinement; and anode core including a plurality of electrical connectors to electricallyjoin up to the plurality of transceiver modules to the node core, the upto the plurality of transceiver modules electrically joined to the nodecore being spatially separated to provide configurable coverage foroptical communication based on their number and placement, wherein thenode core further includes switching circuitry configured to connect thetwo or more transceiver modules to implement a redistribution point or acommunication endpoint in the optical communication network, and whereina transceiver module of the at least some of the two or more transceivermodules joined to the node core of one of the plurality of modular nodesfurther has a processor configured to enable communications with anothertransceiver module of another of the plurality of modular nodes.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the switching circuitry being configured toconnect the two or more transceiver modules includes being configured toswitchably connect the two or more transceiver modules to support a meshor mobile ad-hoc network topology of the optical communication networkthat includes the plurality of modular nodes, the processor of thetransceiver module having information of the mesh or mobile ad-hocnetwork topology.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor isfurther configured to enable communications between at least some of thetwo or more of the transceiver modules through the node core.
 17. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein each modular node is configured to performswitching of data to route the data through the optical communicationnetwork, and the processor is further configured to make switchingdecisions for the data passing through the transceiver module.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to make theswitching decisions according to a configuration of the opticalcommunication network, and to reconfigure the optical communicationnetwork, and wherein the optical communication network is reconfigurablewithin microseconds.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the processorbeing configured to make switching decisions includes being configuredto anticipate switching changes for the modular node
 20. The system ofclaim 17, wherein the processor being configured to make switchingdecisions includes being configured to make switching decisions based oninformation received from another of the two or more transceivermodules.